Improvement in foemebs for hoop-skirts



@with taies atrnt @frn -Letters Patent No. 76,263, dated March 31,1868.

MPROVEMENT IN FORMERS FOR HOOP-SKIRTS.

Elige Stlfithnle, maar In m 'tigers ntexs lnttnt ant making gaat nf tige tmiie.

'lO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, ALFRED R. STANLEY, of Boston, in the State -of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Skirt-Frames or Forms o'n which to MakeiSkeleton Hoop-Skirts; andI do hereby declare'that the following is a full, lclear, andvexact description thereof, reference being had t0 the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a side elevation.

Figure 2, a horizontal section, taken in the plane of the line A a, lig. 1 y and Figure 3 a vertical section, taken in the plane of the-line B of lig. 2.

The frames on which hoop-skirts are formed, as heretofore und now generally constructed, are.of a fixed I height, and with lthe upper part 'at4 a height which will enable the operatives to work on the upper part ott a skirt with facility. It follows .from this that the voperatives are required to stoop considerably in working ou the lower part of the skirt. This is not. only injuriousto the health of the operatives, but, .as they work to a disadvantage, it is wasteful of'V time, and often results in imperfect work. This diiculty is avoided by the first pait ot' my said invention, which consists .in combining the skirt-former frame with its standard, so as to.,turn and slide thereon freely, and providing it with a counterpoising-mechanism, so that the operative can place any portion of it 'at the required height for workingto advantage. Again, as the former-frames have been heretofore constructed, the lower ends of the tapes had to be secured toY the frames by sticking needles or pins through them and into the wood of the frame, or to pieces of tapes secured to Athe frame. This was not only inconvenientbut failed to -hold the whole width of the tapes under proper tension.v This defect is avoided by the second, part of my invention, which consists in combining, with the bars of the, skirt-frame or former, against which the tapes are placed, aseriesofpadjustable clamps, or equivalent devices, to take hold of the whole width 'of the ends of the tapes, and hold them with the required degreeof tension, whatever may be their length.

In the accompanying draw-ingsQa and represent two horizontal plates or disks, of wood, theupper one, rz, of about the diameter of theI waistband of a skirt, and the other, b, of about the diameter of the lower part of a skirt. The llattermay he cut out, 'as at cc, to reduce the weight.Y These two disks are united by a'series of straight bars, d, let into and secured to them, there being as many such bars as there are to'be tapes in the skirts to be made. A vertical post or rod, e, passes through the two disks,'sothat'the frame can slide thereon vertically: andthe lower end 0`f the said post or rod is cylindrical, and fitted to turnin the cavity of'a standard or pedestahf, and is confined therein by a screw,'g, the end of' which `extendsinto a groove, k, in the rod, or ,by eqnivalent nie-ans, The upper lend ofthe said rodA i's provided with a pulley, t', over which a cord passes, one end of which is attached to the upper disk, a, and the other provided with a weight, to balance the weight of the entire frame. For convenience, this weight moves freely in a tube, j, attached to the side of the rod e. By this arrangement, the fra-me, with its post and appendages, can turn freely on thestandard, that the `operative, without changing place, may bring-around to him-anypart of the circumference of the skirt, and, as the said frame is free to slide vertically on its post, and is balanced, or nearly so, it can be moved or down,.lto bring any part of it to the level of the operatives hands, to enable him to work conveniently von any part of the skirt; and, with a view to hold the frame steady at any desired elevation, it is provided with a spriug-bolt, 7c, the end of which takes into notches made in' the post; but any other equivalent device which will act as a -hrake may be substituted; and, in'fact, such-.sprin'g-bolt or equivalent device may beidispensed with altogether,

unless a spring should besubstituted foi-'the'counterpoise-weight.

Each bar d is provided 'with a `dlampJ, the Aplate in of which, for` the purpose of adjustment to tapes ofr different lengths, is formed with an elongated slot,- throuigh which a4 screw, tn, passes, to secure it. to the bard. The o uter jaws of the clamps are hinged to the plates or inner jaws, withsprings interposed `to open them, and screws, o, to close them. Y i

After the waistband, p, of a skirt has been secured tothe periphery ofthe upper disk, the several tapes, g, are eirtended down, one onthe-surfa'ce of each bar, the `end secured in the'. clamp, and the clampdrawn down, to distend theta'pe, andthere secured bythe screw at. In this way, and by the means described, the tapes, along their entire width, are convenientlydistendcd and held. i

7s zes 2 "It will be obvious, from the foregoing, that equivale-'nt devices may be substituted for the clamps, such, for instance, as buckles, forrned as represented `in ig.' 4 of the. accompanying drawings; and, instead of securing 'the plates to the bars by screws passing 'through elongated slots, sliding spring-catches, taking into ratchetteeth, or other equivalent devices, uay -be substituted.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is`

Combiningt the skirt-former frame with its standard, by a turning and sliding joint, and counterpolslngmechanism, substantially as1and for tbeipurpose specified.'

u And I also claim, in combination with the skirt-Former frame, the series of adjustable clamps,.or equivalents therefor, substantially as and for the purpose speciied. v f

. ALFRED R. STANLEY.

Witnesses:

ANDREW Dn LACY, WM. .H. BIsHol 

